The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) is gearing up for the clustering of voting precincts for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), an official said Monday, Sept . 1
Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec-NIR regional election director, said a team will arrive sometime next week in Negros Oriental for the clustering of new precincts, as changes need to be made for the BSKE.
“This is a new clustering activity as only 400 voters are accommodated in one precinct compared to 1,000 voters during the May 12 national and local elections, as this is manual polling,” Castillano said.
He added that new voters who registered from Aug. 1 to 10 for the BSKE will also be accommodated.
Castillano said the Comelec central office team will oversee the clustering of precincts for determining ballot boxes and election paraphernalia to be used in the barangay and SK polls.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Aug. 13 signed Republic Act 12232, moving the BSKE from December 2025 to November 2026 and fixing the term of office of village and youth officials at four years.
Meanwhile, the Comelec official said they will continue preparing for the BSKE in case it is held on Dec. 1 this year, as originally scheduled.
The poll body is awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on a petition from some sectors seeking to declare the law postponing the BSKE as unconstitutional, he added.*PNA